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War in Outland
The Second Invasion of Outland was not a singular event but a series of conflicts carried out by multiple belligerents. The course of these events are detailed in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. Prelude Doomlord Kazzak discovered an unknown relic and used its power to re-open the Dark Portal. In his stead he left fellow doomguard Highlord Kruul to sow discord across the major cities of Azeroth. Several waves of contigents from the Burning Legion attempted to breach the portal from Draenor's side, but were kept at bay by the soldiers and mages from Nethergarde Keep, supported by reinforcements from the ever-vigilant Argent Dawn and mercenary troops from across Azeroth. Horde and Alliance forces under Watch Commander Relthorn Netherwane and Warlord Dar'toon arrived later in the battle and were able to successfully repell the Legion's forces. Conjoined Invasion of Outland After repelling the Legion's forces, Netherwane and Dar'toon dispatched contigents under Commander Duron and Lieutenant General Orion in a conjoined effort to claim the Stair of Destiny and establish footholds in Hellfire Peninsula. The Alliance was able to reinforce their already established base at Honor Hold, still under the leadership of Danath Trollbane after two decades, while the Horde forces under Thrall's trusted advisor Nazgrel established the new settlement of Thrallmar. Disruption of the Legion Invasion After the initial Azerothian victory at the Stair of Destiny, the Legion attempted to retake the Portal in order to cease the flow of troops into Outland and resume their invasion of Azeroth. Legion teleporters set behind the enemy lines provided a constant flow of troops to throw themselves at the Stair of Destiny. A nameless Pit Commander organized an army of Infernal Siegebreakers, Fel Soldiers and Wrath Masters in an attempt to push back the Azerothian forces. The joint-faction army, inspired by the champions Justinius the Harbinger and Melgromm Highmountain fought a tireless battle to keep the Portal safe. The Legion invasion was finally broken when Alliance and Horde forces under Forward Commander Kingston and Forward Commander To'arch managed to take down the Fel Reavers that were protecting the Legion's front teleporters and proceeded to destroy the portals with decisive air-raids employing technology developed by Area 52. Bombing raids were carried out on the crucial Murketh and Shaadraz gateways and the forge camps of the Abyssal Shelf. Efforts to disrupt Legion factories at Forge Camps: Mageddon and Rage were also carried out by Horde and Alliance troops. Later on, during the assault on Invasion Point: Annihilator, Warbringer Arix'Amal was killed and the portal shut down. The final nail in the coffin for the Burning Legion's invasion was the defeat of Kazzak the Supreme at the Throne of Kil'jaeden. The Conflict with Illidan With the Legion threat difused, the Alliance-Horde entente became less of a united, cohesive force. Both factions, however, turned to the threat of Illidan Stormrage, who was the hegemonous power in Outland, ruling from his seat at Karabor. This conflict was not conducted as an organised war effort, but rather as a series of smaller-scale conflicts across Outland, against Fel Orc, Blood Elf, Demon and Naga armies loyal to Illidan. Only the forces of Shattrath City offered any form of organised attack; Xi'ri, a Naaru general under the command of A'dal offered to push back Illidan's troops at the gates of the Black Temple with a joint Aldor-Scryer force. This provided an elaborate distraction for the liberated Maiev Shadowsong, Illidan's tireless jailor and Akama, Illidan's once-ally, to enter the Temple. Adventurers, with the help of the Ashtongue draenei, proceeded to bring down the high command of Illidan's vast empire, and even Illidan himself, from the inside. The Battle of Quel'danas The final stage of the conflict on Outland would transpire outside of Draenor itself, on the Isle of Quel'Danas. Kael'thas Sunstrider, once Illidan's most trusted advisor, had aligned himself and those of his subjects still loyal to him to him with the Burning Legion. After extracting enormous amounts of arcane energy from Netherstorm via hijacked Naaru-technology, Kael'thas was confronted and seemingly killed at Tempest Keep. The Prince, however, managed to survive, albiet as a Wretched, mana-hungry fiend. Using the great amount of energy taken from Outland and the captured Naaru, M'uru, Kael'thas triumphantly restored the shattered Sunwell for the most abominable purpose; the summoning of Kil'jaeden into Azeroth. A united effort by the Aldor, Scryer and Blood Knight orders, the Shattered Sun Offensive, repelled an army of marauding demons and a fleet of Kael's loyal Blood Elves from Quel'danas, lending time to adventurers within the Sunwell Plateau who strived to thwart the Legionlord's summoning.